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Oct 3, 2012 -- 6:27AM, EarlyMann wrote:

Thanks for all the replies guys!! I really appreciate it.

What exactly is D&D Next?

Everyone I play with are new to D&D. I've always been interested in it, but didn't know my friends would go along. The sticking point was a season 2 episode of Community where they play D&D for fat Neil lol. The only experienced one out of us is our current DM. We have 5 PC's, so basically our current DM and myself will switch. The new versions/rules/etc. won't make much difference to us. In fact, I think they may embrace it more because it has more structure than what we've been playing under the DM.

My friend wants me to be the DM because he feels I would create better adventures (eventually after getting into for a bit) and follow more of a story/adventure line that he enjoys. We both love Tolkien and Game of Thrones. I'm not much of a reader at all...he is though. I am aware of the Forgotten Realms books (my father used to read them and I read a couple myself). That sort of adventuring is excellent for us.

I will look into the Red Box, as I do need everything to get started. Our current DM has a lot, but I want my own. Plus he has everything in photo copies and on the computer and it just seems a mess. I don't even know if HE has everything! Are the books that come with it all up to date for 4E?

Is there any other information or suggestions you guys can give me for a smooth game play?

Thanks

D&D Next is what will be 5th edition in the next couple of years and is currently in playtest. You can sign up for the playtest here.

For more advice I strongly recommend reading Chris Perkins's The DM Experience. A lot of good stuff in those articles.

Funny thing, that Community episode is what got me back into D&D.  

Oct 3, 2012 -- 9:49AM, EarlyMann wrote:

Gotcha. If a situation arrises, assess it and if border line, side with players until I can resolve it in detail after the adventure.

Also, I downloaded that D&D Next and read through it all. It doesn't have as much to it as I'd like. For instance, races and classes. It just gives the 4 original options, where 4E has many race options. Also, the Next advises to roll dice in figuring out your stat #'s...that's how we did it in our compaign, but I don't like that at all. We have a girl in the group who consistently rolls 5's and 6's and she had maxed out 3 of her stats already. Just doesn't seem fair when another in the group happens to roll poorly and gets stuck with low stats. There's gotta be a better way...is there? Like I think each race should have a standard starting point of STR/WIS/INT/DEX/CON/CHA and then based on what class is chosen, they get added stat points to whichever is fitted for that class. Like, if someone chooses to be a wizard, and rolls enough high dice to where they can have an INT of 18 and a STR of 18, that's just kind of ridiculous. But I am only going fro what I've been playing...so please don't hold me to following any actual rules or what have you.

Can someone clarify these stats for me and character generating? For instance, my friend just texted me and said he wants to be a neutral/evil human sorcerer...he wants to be a Gambit type character.

As time goes on, they'll add more races for D&D Next. But for now, they have to be sure the core game is balanced, and the best way to do that is to start with the basics.

Rolling stats is traditional. And there's many ways to do that. My method: each player rolls 3 sets of 6 ability scores. For each roll, they roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die. This usually gives a broad range of scores across the three sets. The player then chooses the set they like most and assigns each score in the set to an ability. This method also usually errs on the side of higher results for all players. An alternate method would be to let them mix and match numbers across the various sets, taking only the 6 numbers they like most, which will likely result in very powerful starting PCs. You could also attach limits to that, enforcing that the total of the mixed and matched numbers can't be higher than say 85.

Alternatively, you can just use point buy. It's a solid set up and forces the players to think about the role they want to take on and how they want their numbers to influence the character. In fact, the point buy method sounds perfect for you. It usually forces players to choose between stats, so the wizard can't have 18 STR and 18 INT because there's just not enough points to spend.

I'm not sure what you mean by clarifying stats...but I'll give it a shot.

Each stat is vital to the life of the character.

Strength represents physical prowess and the ability to deal damage in melee combat and move heavy things or do other great acts of physical interaction. Usually used most by barbarians, fighters, and other heavy melee classes and races.

Dexterity represents ability to move lithely and quickly. It effects mostly ranged combat and represents a character's ability to dodge incoming attacks or avoid a trap. It can also be used for fine motor skills like lockpicking. Rogues love this ability, so do some other classes.

Constitution represents general health of a character. It influences Hit Points, fortitude, and other various concepts relating to a character's health. All classes and races can benefit equally from this ability score.

Intelligence represents the level of knowledge and ability to learn and memorize. Influences many skills and helps determine skill point gains during level up. Is loved by Wizards (for spell requirements) and Rogues (for being skill hounds).

Wisdom represents how well the character can apply knowledge and gain insights to the world around them. Mostly based around intuition, faith, understanding, and morals. Clerics and druids benefit most from this ability. And I think monks, right?

Charisma represents how sociable and pretty a character is or can be. Those with high charisma can usually find a way to gain quick friendships with NPCs in the world. Whether through a silver tongue or a stunning beauty. Sorcerers love this ability as it is inherent to their abilities with spells. This is also the bard's primary ability score because it's what they do. Do paladins benefit from this too or was that wisdom for them? I can't remember, someone feel free to speak up.